In Praise of the Vulnerable Man
by melissa Ivory
Summary: ONE-SHOT probably already used as a plot- Severus is really Hermione’s father, but this fact is unknown to both parties until the moment of his death. DH compliant, as i don’t change anything, only elaborate.


_genre:_ Harry Potter

_disclaimer:_ i own not the characters held within, that honour is Jo Rowling's. forgive for my use, please?

_rating:_ M

_summary:_ probably already used as a plot- Severus is really Hermione's father, but this fact is unknown to both parties until the moment of his death. DH compliant, as i don't change anything, only elaborate.

_author's note:_ this is a one-shot, obviously. don't know why, but this plot bunny bit me while i was showering, which was a good thing as i was able to tend to the wound quickly.

also to be noted: i don't capitalize unless it's a name, place, or other such Important Thing. it's just how i write, and my artistic license overrules what anyone may think to the contrary. i also use grammar and spelling that is constant to Canadian, British, and American standards. if you believe me to need to learn spelling or grammar, you are wrong. every story is beta'ed by someone, and therefore is compliant to a mix of UK, US, and Canadian standards.

this story is written in my newest style, which is also used on the sequel 'life is a medley', my second Lazytown fiction. story is based on a song, and like songs, each part fades into the next, until the song cross fades the end of the story.

i like this set-up, actually, and have yet to have complaints. i hope it's not confusing.

also- Hermione's parents proper names are never given, so to remain canon, no names are given for them.

however, with this in mind, some things are basically fanon, as i have made some assumptions on things held within. mostly concerning how Hermione's parents met, and pretty much everything with Severus, to a point of course.

i hope that doesn't make this story seem any less full as a mostly canon story.

on with the story!

* * *

**In Praise Of The Vulnerable Man**

_(Alanis Morissette)_

Severus Snape knew her well, the sweet neighbour girl who would giggle whenever he came into the yard.

she had red hair, something interesting that caught his eye.

it took years before she would utter her name, a name he would forget easily years later, but regret losing as well.

for a long time, or so it seemed, the stories she would tell him appeared to be just made-up. it wasn't until his mother told him that they were all true, and that she was a witch, and he a wizard, that it happened.

she moved away. shortly after, his mother told him that her parents may have been magical, but she was a Squib. his hopes of seeing her at Hogwarts crumbled.

to his knowledge, he never saw her again.

however, she was the reason he sought out Lily Evans. she was a witch, with red hair. by the time he found out this new friend wasn't the same neighbour friend, he was enamoured with her, so it didn't matter.

much more fiery than his sweet, but finding her within a year of going to Hogwarts made him feel that maybe it wouldn't be so bad going there after all.

years passed, and they grew better acquainted, and he fell more in love with her as time went.

and then he made the worst mistake of his life, and Lily made it clear she wouldn't forgive him.

even though he knew that for a brief time, she loved him.

when he made that terrible mistake, however, her affections turned toward James Potter, and all was lost.

so much, he knew, now that he realized he couldn't remember his sweet's name…

(fade)

she knew she would always love Severus. she couldn't help but think of him, dream of him. even after she knew he would have forgotten her after all the years apart, she couldn't help when her mind would wander to him while she daydreamed.

many of her schoolmates told her often that they knew she was in love, but they also knew that her love wasn't one of the rowdy boys who were trying to gain their attentions.

but she wasn't a very apt pupil, magically, and being mostly a Squib, she was lucky to even get into Diagon Alley, and in doing so, tried her hardest to find him.

once she dropped the name, she was sad to hear what she heard of his school days at the place she had dreamed of seeing him one day.

ever since she was little, Hogwarts was a mandatory part of her dreams for the future.

when she was nine, and had yet to show any magic, her parents took her to see a doctor at St. Mungo's.

and she was deemed a Squib, but just barely.

if she were in danger, health-wise, her body would respond magically and she would heal much faster than Muggles. once when she lost her balance near a window and almost fell out, her magic made a barrier so that she had something to fall against, and she was able to get her balance back and continue like normal.

but she couldn't use a wand, and she couldn't train herself to use what dwindling amount of magic she had.

disappointedly, she was told her children would, more than likely, not have any magical ability due to this, even if their father was a Pureblood.

being that she came from Half-bloods, her parents didn't care that she was a squib, they loved her for her.

that didn't stop her quest to find Severus.

however, he never knew it was her.

(fade)

it wasn't very long after Lily Evans became Lily Potter that Severus found himself in Knockturn Alley, trying to find someone to drown his sorrow in.

and he found her standing in the shadows, where even her red hair couldn't hide.

it wasn't bright, bright red, like Lily's, but it was red enough for his need to fulfilled.

he never noticed the girl was actually rather surprised he found her, and that she kept smiling when he introduced himself proper in the room above the Leaky Cauldron.

shortly after, he was visiting her often. when asked, she told him that he was the only one she slept with, that she wasn't a prostitute. he had though that might have been the case, but when he tried to find out why she was allowing their relationship to be as it was, she would just smile coyly, kiss him, and it started all over again.

he regretted not pushing more when one day, she was gone.

no note, no explanation, just gone.

(fade)

when she found out she was pregnant, she knew he couldn't know about it.

he would be hurt, heartbroken, that she had never been fully honest with him.

and now she was carrying his child.

when she got home, she was surprised to find one of her dentistry schoolmates standing at the door. he was a sweet guy, who had on occasion gotten a hold of her eye.

but since she had found Severus again, she had ignored everyone, with the exception of her teachers.

he looked forlorn, and she took pity on that.

letting him in behind her, she was glad that she had someone to turn to in the harsh times ahead.

she never expected, however, that she would marry him. nor that he didn't care who the father of her child was, so long as she loved him and wanted him to be the father.

and what a good father he was!

he raised little Hermione as if she were his own. and, strangely, she looked it, just a bit.

her daughter's hair may have grown in mousy brown, but her hair had been fading in it's fiery red for years, even so when she had been meeting up with Severus, that it was now a nice dark brown, red visible when light shined on it just right.

while getting settled into her new job, a firm with her husband, they were both caught unawares by Hermione's first instance of magic.

just when she thought she could forget her past mistake, in thinking of the love of her childhood, those memories came back to kick her, hard.

and all this while, she thought back with regret at the mediwitch telling her that no matter how she try, her children would never be magical.

she couldn't help but be shiningly proud.

as was Hermione's father, her husband. which was a relief.

with her parents dead, having been caught in an attack by Death Eaters before the Dark Lord's downfall, she knew that she could play the surprised Muggle mum and no one would know her true heritage.

which suited her just fine, in fact, as things had certainly changed in the Wizarding World.

(fade)

when Severus first took a good, long look at Hermione Granger, he saw a show-off know-it-all.

and never thought on that… until he noticed how much she clung to Potter.

otherwise, she only came to his mind as an accompaniment to Potter.

(fade)

the first summer back, and her daughter couldn't stop talking about all the new, wondrous, and exciting things of the Wizarding World and Hogwarts School.

but she was caught entirely off-guard when her daughter, unknowingly, uttered her father's name.

"what was that dear?"

"Professor Snape, the Potions Master. he's the Head of Slytherin, and not a very nice professor to anyone outside of Slytherin. i think he likes to challenge us, really, so i don't understand why Harry and Ron are so easy to be harsh. however, we did suspect that he was trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone, until we were trying to save it. he was one of the professor's who put protections around the Stone, so we knew he couldn't have been the one trying to get the Stone.

"oh! and i solved the riddle that he placed as a protection. it was really easy, kind of like the ones in that book you and i used to read all the time Mum."

"really? how interesting dear. and what does Professor Snape think of your schoolwork?"

"i suppose he thinks i do just fine, although i would like to get better grades. he is a hard taskmaster, that's for sure."

"yes…"

"what was that Mum?"

"oh, nothing dear."

Hermione never noticed the look on her mother's face, but it was a myriad of emotions so colourful, she seemed like a rainbow.

her daughter now knew her father, but Hermione would never know it. she couldn't say anything about it to either of them.

and she didn't bring up the issue, either. that was left to Hermione, who came to her after school had ended the next year and asked the more peculiar question.

"who's my real father?"

"whatever do you mean Hermione?"

"when i was Petrified, i had a vision. it was strange, really. you were in Diagon Alley with a man, i couldn't make him out, and you were happy… and then you stopped seeing him because you were pregnant with me."

"Hermione…"

"i understand if you don't want to tell me who my real father is, but it does explain why i have magic, doesn't it?"

"i'm a Squib, which means you shouldn't have magic. your father must be a very powerful Wizard indeed, seeing as you're magical," she wanted to say, but didn't.

"Mum?"

"yes Hermione?"

"will you ever tell me who my real father is?"

"no. you'll find out some day."

they never spoke of it again, although she knew her daughter wouldn't give up wondering.

once word was out that the Dark Lord was back, from a source she trusted as much as her daughter did, she was on the alert. her husband may not understand, but she knew the threat that he posed.

and she was careful.

luckily, Hermione got them a subscription to the Daily Prophet, so she was receiving news even when Hermione was in school, or helping her friend Harry Potter, the one destined to, and already had once, taken down this deranged madman.

(fade)

rare moments, especially during the summertime, Severus wondered if the reason his red haired vixen disappeared was because she was pregnant.

but the hand that life had shown him so far told him that rare beam of hope was futile, and he didn't dwell on it long.

even though the sign was literally under his long, crooked nose.

(fade)

she was dimly aware of the spells her daughter placed on her, not caring so much when the reason was so obvious.

and she lived a quiet and happy time while Hermione helped her friend's back in England.

at least her daughter kept her dear mum and dad in a Commonwealth country…

(fade)

as she follows Harry out of the passageway, toward the man's body, a vision flashes before her eyes.

_she sees her mother, smiling and happy, holding hands and kissing a man, who's face has normally been clouded._

_the clouds lift, showing a younger, happier Severus Snape._

Hermione cannot help the tears that are coming down, but she tries to hide them. when she sees the memories that the dying man is pouring out of himself, giving up something so precious in his last moments, she conjures a glass vial for Harry and, calmly, hands it to him.

once they have left the tunnel, the threat of Voldemort's announcement hanging in the air thickly, she connected with her friends, making sure they were alright.

she noticed that Harry slunk off, most likely to see what those memories held. she lied, easily, about needing to use the loo and rushed back to the passageway, and back to the dead body lying in a pool of blood.

trying not to get to close, she let her tears flow freely. so much lost so quickly.

and she would never get to know her father…

at that moment, Hermione felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, rubbing gently. when she looked back, there was no one there, but something in her said that he knew, now, and that he was (she couldn't help but believe) begrudgedly proud.

when she retrieved her parents months later, after everything had calmed down back home, she pulled her mother aside to talk about her father for the last time.

"i know who my father is."

"really?!"

"yes. and he died fighting for our side. he helped us win Mum, and i couldn't be more proud of him."

"dear…"

"don't say anything. as far as i am concerned, he was the bravest man on our side, he was Dumbledore's Man more than Harry, and he was the greatest Professor i ever had."

"dear…"

"and i'm the luckiest to have you and Dad to come back to, safe and sound."

"Hermione…" and she hugged her daughter.

(fade)

years later, in moments like her wedding, her children's births, and any moment she needed strength, Hermione would think fondly of her real father, and the things he had done for what he believed in, for love, and for someone he didn't know existed to him.

after a few years, while in a coffee shop in Muggle London, she heard a song that caught her attention, that wholly reminded her of him, and his life…

(cross fade)

You are the bravest man I've ever met  
You unreluctant at treacherous ledge

You are the sexiest man I've ever been with  
You, never hotter than with armor spent

When you do what you do to provide  
How you land in the soft as you fortify

This is in praise of the vulnerable man  
Why won't you lead the rest of your cavalry home

You, with your eyes mix strength with abandon  
You with your new kind of heroism

And I bow and I bow down to you  
To the grace that it takes to melt on through

This is in praise of the vulnerable man  
Why won't you lead the rest of your cavalry home  
This is a thank you for letting me in  
Indeed in praise of the vulnerable man

You are the greatest man I've ever met  
You the stealth setter of new precedents

And I vow and I vow to be true  
And I vow and I vow to not take advantage

This is in praise of the vulnerable man  
Why won't you lead the rest of your cavalry home  
This is a thank you for letting me in  
Indeed in praise of the vulnerable man


End file.
